Swear On Your Life
by Lori von Loco
Summary: The blue-eyed nation vowed to be his guardian: To prevent anyone from hurting him. It worked out well for a while; the pair became quite close ... It wasn't until Alfred caught wind of a rather nasty situation between Yao and Kiku that things began to go downhill.


**Swear On Your Life**

_Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save. Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave. If I show you then I know you won't tell what I said, 'cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead._

~X~

The beginning started with a promise; the end started with the words, "Can you keep a secret?"

Yao didn't know exactly how it happened, but Alfred had surreptitiously wormed his way past Yao's defenses. A smile here, a kind word there, and the elder nation suddenly found himself very fond of the other. The blue-eyed nation vowed to be his guardian: To prevent anyone from hurting him. All-in-all, it worked out well for a while; the pair became quite close, and even Yao considered them to be unlikely best friends.

It wasn't until Alfred caught wind of a rather nasty situation between Yao and Kiku that things began to go downhill. Yao was sulking with his head on Alfred's shoulder, unaware of the way sky blue eyes darkened behind thin wire frames. "It's my fault. I broke my promise by letting him hurt you. Don't worry, Yao—I'll fix this."

~X~

The next day, all hell broke loose. Ludwig was more angered than anyone had ever seen him, and Feliciano was a worse wreck than usual, if the way he quivered and whined was anything to go by. Arthur was the first to ask what the matter was, and Ludwig didn't skip a beat in calling off the meeting so he could give the Brit his answer.

The present members of the G8 traveled onto German soil—many of them for the first time in ages—each of them bearing an air of curiosity mixed with a half-expectant sense of foreboding. Not a one of them mentioned the disconcerting chill in the air, thus bringing their assembly to a state of silence so intense it was eerily static. Upon rounding the corner of the German's house, the chill hit them with a sudden blast.

Once they'd caught sight of the bloodied corpse staring blankly up at them from the ground, the news spread like wildfire.

~X~

"Alfred, aru?"

"Yeah, man?"

"I heard from Yong Soo that Kiku was dead, aru."

"..."

"Alfred."

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Y-yes."

"Swear on your life?"

"O-of course, aru."

"I killed him."

"..."

"He hurt you."

"..."

"Don't tell anyone."

~X~

"Alfred?"

"What's up, Arthur?"

"Yao told me everything."

~X~

Yao was sweating now, caught in an adrenaline rush that he felt like he'd been shoved into with dark intent. There were wet streaks on his cheeks—were those tears? He thought they were, but he didn't remember crying. The only thing he recalled was arriving to the allied forces meeting and finding quiet chaos—an oxymoron that fit the situation all too well. Their presentation leader was missing in action, and everyone looked completely lost. Even from his late entry, Yao could tell what they were all thinking; they knew the man wouldn't only be missing today, but that he would never come back.

~X~

"Hey, Yao."

"Alfred, where is Arthur?"

"I dunno."

"Where _is _he, aru?"

"I told ya, I don't know."

" What is _wrong _with you! You know, aru! You did it, you killed him! Kiku, Arthur, they're both—"

~X~

"—dead?" Ivan asked, his expression as cold and emotionless as ever. "What a pity."

"Ain't it, though?"

" Well, things happen, _da_?"

Alfred shrugged noncommittally, shifting his weight onto one foot. "The others are sayin' that there's some crazy killer that wants to pick us all off, one by one."

Ivan sniffed. "That is dumb."

"Yeah, well, some of 'em are saying it's you."

The Russian's eyebrows furrowed. "Me? But, why?"

" Because you're just a big dude. They find shit like that intimidating." Alfred's comment was met with a frosty silence from the opposing side, so he merely continued. "_I _don't think you did it. I mean, you're tough, sure, but a cold-blooded psycho killer?" He laughed, eyes twinkling behind those wire frames of his. "I think you're a cool guy, just so y'know."

Ivan looked at him straight on. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. You could even be my new best friend."

"Interesting... Friend." An intrigued grin graced the elder male's lips. "It really is a shame Yao was killed. Who do you think did it?"

The American's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, but his smile was still in tact. "Ivan?"

"_Da_ ?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

~o~

**A/N: **This was inspired by the song "Secret" by The Pierces, which is where the lyrics at the beginning come from. I apologize if this fic seems rushed; I just needed to get rid of this plot bunny floating around in my brain. ^^"


End file.
